Ink agitator



I Nov. 8, 1927. 1,648,187

E. F. MARCEAU INK AGITATOR Filed March 19. 1927 Midi/V705 "f W W? Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

ncroa r. MARCEAU, or EAST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

INK AGITATOR.

Application filed March 19,-1927. Serial 370,176,652.

This invention relates to those devices which are adapted to be applied to the inking fountains of printing and lithographic presses for keeping the pigments of the ink properly mixed with thebinding mediums and insuringa uniform distribution of the required amount of ink to the desired areas of the fountainroller as long as any ink remains in the fountain.

A device of this character is illustrated and described in Patent No. 1,562,462 issued tome November 24, 1925, and the object of the present invention is to simplify the construction of the prior device wherebyjthe costs of producing and assembling the parts and the maintenance and care ofthe structure in use, are materially lowered without reduction of efiiciency. I

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of; the device with the agitating blade carriage shown as propelled by a chain drive. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section with the releasing latch that travels with the carriage in one position. Fig. 3 shows the carriage with the latch in its other posi tion. Fig. 4sh0ws the carriage as propelled by a belt. j I

The device illustrated has a pair of clamp plates 1 that are adapted to be attached to the ink fountain with which it is to be used. Fastened'to the frontof the clamp plates are angular brackets 2 between whicha pair of parallel guide rods 3 extend. Free to rotate on a stud 4 on the front ofone of the brackets is a sprocket wheel 5. Turning in the other bracket is an arbor 6 on the frontend of which is a sprocket wheel 7 and on the .rear end of which is a bevel gear ,8. Meshing with this gear is a bevel gear, 9 attached to a shaft 10 designed to be rotated by any convenient means. A chain 11 passes around and connects the sprocket wheels, and when the shaft 10 is rotated the chain is caused to travel in the direction indicated by the arrows 11 on Fig. 1. I Mounted on the guide rods that are supported by the brackets is a carriage 12, the

upper andlower edges of which are grooved to fit and slide along the rods. On the front face of this carriage, and rotatable on the stud 13 is a segmental sprocketwheel 14, the teeth of which are adapted, when the wheel is turned up to engage the'under side of the upper length of the chain and when the wheel is turned. down to engage with chain. Guide studs15 are attached to the front of the carriage so as'to keep thechain in position to engage the teeth of the segmental sprocket wheel. Projecting rearward from the segmental sprocket wheel is a stud 16.

Pivotally mounted in the carriage back of the segmental sprocket wheel is alatch 17 which has two forwardly extending lugs 18, 19 adapted, depending upon the position of the latch, to extend into the path of revolution of the stud-that projects rearward from the segmental sprocket wheel. Adjustably mounted on the guiding rods are reversing posts 20. These posts are clamped in the locations to which they ane adjusted by thumb screws 21. These posts have inclined slots '22 in the plane of the latch, and the ends of the latch are beveled so as to; easily engage with the walls of these slotsp'The carriage ha'san arm 23 with an adjustable clamp 24 and thumb nut 25 for fastening.

the ink agitating blade 26in position.

'W' hen 'theteeth of the segmental sprocket wheel. are engaged with the upper length of Y the chain, as shown in Fig. 1, this wheel is turned until its rearward projecting stud16 engages the under side of the lug 18 on the latch. This looks the wheel and the chain then draws thecarriage toward the right. After the carriage has traveled the length of the ink fountain the beveled end of the latch strikes the beveled wall of the slot in the reversing post at the right and thejlatch is turned so that the lug 18 isdisengaged from the stud'16. The segmental sprocket wheel is then free and it rotates until its are again turned into engagement with the upper length of the chain and the carriage again propelled toward the right. a H This mechanism, having but the" single segmental sprocket, wheel with its stud the upper side -1: the lower l gth, of the adapted to'be engaged by thelugs projecting lit from the reversing latch, the position of V which is changed at each end of the movement of the carriage by engagement with the reversing posts, propels the carriage with the ink agitating blade back and forth regularly as long as the driving mechanism keeps the chain in motion. I

Instead of having a segmental sprocket wheel and chain, as above described, the carriage may be provided with a segment of a. pulley 27 that may be engaged by a belt 28, the friction between the belt and the pulley surface being sufiicient under some circumstancestopropel the carriage back and fortln In this case the latch is reversed and the pulley turned from engagement with the upper t-o'the lower length of the belt and back again in the same manner as with the sprocket and chain.

The invention claimed iS 1 An ink agitator comprising supporting brackets designed tobe fastened to an ink fountain, a guide way extending between said brackets, a carriage fitted to travel back and forth on said way, said carriage hav- 'ing means for tlieattachment 01 an agitating'blade, endless traveling means, mounted on the brackets, a segmental wheel rotatably mounted on thecarriage and adapted to be intermittently engaged by the upper and lower "lengths, of said endless traveling means, a latch movably mountedon the carriage, and means at the ends of said guide way adapted to reverse said latch, which latch when in one position engages and lock-s thesegmental wheel in contact with onedength of the endless traveling means and when in its other position engages and locks said wheel in contact with the other length of the chain. 7 V V 2, An ink agitator comprising supporting brackets designed to be fastened to an ink fountain, a guide way extending between said brackets, a carriage fitted to travel back and forth on said way, said carriage having means for the attachment oi" an agitating blade, an endless traveling chain mounted on the brackets, a segmental sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage and adapted to be intern' ittently ,engagedbythe upper and lower lengths of said chain, a latch movably mounted on the carriage, and means at the ends of said guide wa ada ted to reverse said la 0 t a 7 which latch when in one position engages and locks said sprocket wheel in contact with one length of the chain and when in its other position engages and" locks the sprocket wheel in contact with the other lengthof the chain. v c a 3. An ink agitator brackets designed to be fastened to an ink fountain, a guide way. extending between b acket a carriag titted n trave compr si g supp in back and forth on said way, said carriage having means for the attachment'of an agi- 7 rating blade, an endless chain mounted on the brackets, a segmental sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage and adapted to be intermittently engaged bythe upper and lower lengths of said chain, a

said brackets, a carriage'fittedto travel back and forth on said rods, said carriage having means for-the attachmei'it of an agitating blade, wheels'mounted on the brackets, means for rotating one of said wheels, an endless conveyor passingaround said wheels,

a segmental wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage and adapted to intermittently en gage opposite lengths of said conveyor, a stud extending rearwardly from said segmental wheel, a latch movably mounted on i the carriage, and'posts adjustable on said guide 'rods'and adapted to engage and reverse said latch, which latch when in one position is engaged'by said stud and locks the segmental wheel in one position against rotat on, and 711911111 its other position is engaged by said stud and locks the segmental wheel against rotation in another position.

5. An'ink agitator comprising supporting brackets designed to be fastened to an ink fountain, guide rods extend ng between said brackets, a carriage'fitted to travel back and forth on said rods, said carriagehav ing means for the attachment otflan agitating blade, sprocket wheels mounted I on the brackets, means "for rotating one of said sprocket wheels, an endless chain passing around said sprockt'et wheels, a segmental sprocket wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage and adapted to be intermittently engaged by the opposite lengths of said chain, a stud extending rearwardly from said segmentalsprocket wheel, a latch niov- V ably mounted on" the carriage and posts adustable on said guide rods and adaptet l to engage and reverse said latch, which latchwh'en in one position engages and locks the sprocket wheel in conta'ctwith one length of the chain and when in its otherfpositibn engages and locks the {sprocket Wheel in contact w itli'the other length of the chain;

as t imin- 

